Incident Overview
Station Fire Information
August 31, 2009 9:00 a.m.
Fire Status
Fire Name: Station
Geographic Location: Highway 2 North of La Canada – Flintridge, CA
Acres Burned: 85,760
Start Date: August 26, 2009
Time: 3:20 p.m.
Percent Contained: 5%
Estimated Containment Date: 9/15/09
Cause: Under Investigation
Injuries: 3
Threatened:12,000
Commercial Buildings Threatened: 500
Structures Destroyed: 18
Resourses
Cooperators: Forest Service (Lead Agency) with support from Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sherriffs Department, California State Highway Patrol, Cal Trans, Los Angeles City Fire Department
Approximate Personnel Assigned: 2,575
Helitankers 7
Helicopters 6
Air Tanker 8 (3 additional available as needed)
Engines 290
Hand Crews 54
Dozers 52
Summary: The Station Fire continues to burn within the Angeles National Forest and near surrounding foothill communities of La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon, Pasadena and Glendale. The goals of the firefighters are to keep the fire west of Highway 39 and Angeles Crest Highway, east of Interstate 5, south of Highway 14, Pearblossom Highway, and Highway 138, and north of the foothill communities and the Angeles National Forest Boundary. Steep terrain, decadent old growth brush and hot dry weather are factors that drive fire activity. Firefighters are working to build fireline and protect structures within areas affected by the fire.
Evacuations:
North Side Mandatory
Chantry Flats: evacuations of the Chantry Flats area effective as of 10:00 am
Acton Area: There has been a mandatory evacuation of Soledad Canyon Rd. between Agua Dulce Canyon Rd. and Crown Valley Rd. There is a mandatory evacuation of the area bounded by Soledad Canyon Rd, Aliso Canyon Rd. and Angeles Forest Highway.
National Forest: Soledad Canyon Rd./Bootlegger Canyon Rd. Area AND Little Rock Recreation Area Mount Emma Rd. and Cheseboro Rd.
South Side Mandatory
National Forest: There has been mandatory evacuation of the area along Big Tujunga Canyon Rd. from Mount Gleason to Angeles Forest Highway.
There has been a mandatory evacuation along Little Tujunga Canyon Rd. north of the Little Tujunga Ranger Station and Gold Creek.
La Crescenta: Vicinity of Rosemont, La Crescenta, and Ramsdale AND north of Rockedell, Pineridge, Mountain Pine, and Markridge Rd.
La Canada Flintridge: There has been a mandatory evacuation of all streets east of Ocean View Blvd. and north of Los Amigos St. In addition, all streets north of Jessen Drive and Palm Drive have been evacuated as well. There has been a mandatory evacuation of all streets located west of Briggs Ave. and east of Pennsylvania Ave., in between Harmony Pl. and the foothills. There has been a mandatory evacuation of all streets north of Rockdell St. between Briggs Av. And Pine Glenn Rd.
Altadena: There has been a mandatory evacuation of all streets north of Loma Alta Dr., located between Lincoln Ave. and Lake Ave. In addition, all streets located in “The Meadows” have been evacuated as well. “The Meadows” consists of all streets located above Loma Alta Dr. and west of Lincoln Ave. to Aralia Rd.
Road Closures:
Red Rover Mine Rd. @ SR-14
Soledad Canyon Rd. @ Crown Valley Rd.
Escondido Rd.@ SR-14
Soledad Canyon Rd. @ SR-14 (exit only)
Agual Dulce Canyon Rd. @ SR-14
Placerita @ Sand Canyon Rd.
Big Pines @ SR-2
Aliso Canyon @ Soledad Canyon Rd.
Angeles Forest Highway @ Mt. Emma Rd.
Red Rover Mine Rd.@ Escondido Rd.
Aliso Canyon @ Ave Y-8
Little Tujunga @ Ranger Station
Open to Residents Only:
Effective (time)
Lake Blvd. to JPL and south of Cheyney Tr.
Evacuation Shelters: Located at La Canada High School; La Crescenta Valley High School and Golden Valley High School, Marie Kerr Park, Verdugo High School. Animal Shelters are located at Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, as well as the following special needs shelter. Pierce College (horses, donkeys and mules ONLY), Lancaster Animal Shelter and Agoura Animal Shelter are both accepting small animals.
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Under Investigation |
| Date of Origin | Wednesday August 26th, 2009 approx 03:30 PM |
| Location | Los Angeles River Ranger District / Angeles National Forest |
| Incident Commander | Michael Dietrich |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 2,575 |
|---|---|
| Size | 85,760 acres |
| Percent Contained | 5% |
| Estimated Containment Date | Tuesday September 08th, 2009 approx 06:00 PM |
| Fuels Involved |
Very heavy fuels of ceanothus, chamise, scrub oak and manzanita across the entire fire area, 15 to 20 feet in height with Big Cone Douglas Fir in the drainage bottoms. Fuels have not experienced any significant large fire activity in the past 40 years. |
| Fire Behavior |
Fire behavior was extremely active with rapid rates of spread and flame lenghts up to 80 feet. All thresholds in place for determination of active fire behavior have been exceeded. Hot and dry with afternoon winds, especially over the upper slopes. |
| Significant Events |
Mandatory Evacuations are in effect in many locations. The fire is threatening the Mount Lukens Communications Site, Mount Wilson Communications Facilities and Observatory and may reach these locations this burning period. Unified Command is in place. |
Outlook
| Planned Actions |
Prepare and protect structures when and where necessary. Air operations will be heavy on the northwest perimeter. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential |
Extreme. The fire in the Acton area has spread down to the lower slopes adjacent to the road. |
| Terrain Difficulty |
Extremely steep and inaccessible |
| Remarks |
Angeles Crest Highway remains closed and is the primary access route for numerous private residences and the Mount Wilson Communication Facility and Observatory. Multiple evacuation centers have been established. The Red Flag warning will expire at 9:00 p.m. the evening. |
Thanks for all the great work Frank
Thank you Frank. We live in Acton and this
report was very helpful to us.
Roger & Michelle Girion
Frank, maybe cite your source next time? This is just a copy/paste from InciWeb.
I believe the title of the entry is InciWeb Station Fire update ?? that not enough credit for you?
@Anonymous – no, not really, unless you have really low journalism standards.
Note that just below the title it says: “By Frank Girardot on August 31, 2009 10:08 AM” It should more accurately read “Copy and pasted by Frank Girardot on August 31, 2009 10:08 AM” because nothing in the entire article appears to be “By” Frank Girardot. Plus, he didn’t just copy the content, he took the entire format and structure – tables and all! Is that what passes for journalism these days?
At the very least an original paragraph should accompany the post. Is that too much to ask of Frank?
Who cares where the information is coming from, as long as it gets out to people as a purpose of informing??? Ridiculous! The fire is a serious event and I, for one, appreciate that there are people who are willing to report on it. It doesn’t matter the source as long as people are informed. It could very well save many lives!